By the time Chris Woakes returned from England's tour to South Africa at the start of 2016, he feared his Test career was over. He was 27 by then and had played six Tests. But, despite bowling respectably on almost every outing, he had never quite made the breakthrough and a bowling average of 63 made dispiriting reading. It looked as if he may be remembered as one of cricket's nearly men.

But fate offered another chance. A knee injury to Ben Stokes saw Woakes recalled to the squad to play Sri Lanka in Durham. On the same day he claimed career-best figures of 9 for 36 against Durham - "It was like facing 90mph leg-breaks," Paul Collingwood said - and, with Alastair Cook insisting Woakes' batting gave him the edge over Jake Ball (both Paul Farbrace and Trevor Bayliss wanted Ball to play), he made it back into the XI.

It was to prove the start of a golden summer. After career-bests (up to that point) with bat and ball in Durham, he made a maiden Test half-century at Lord's and followed it was an unbeaten 95 to help England to an unlikely tie in an ODI a Trent Bridge. It was the highest score by a No. 8 or lower in the history of ODIs and helped England recover from 92 for 6 in pursuit of 287.

Then, at Lord's, he claimed 11 for 102 against Pakistan, becoming the first England bowler since Ian Botham in 1978 to take a five-wicket haul in each innings of a Test at the ground. He followed it with another seven wickets and a half-century in Manchester and five more wickets in Birmingham. His 26 wickets at 16 a piece were a record in a series between England and Pakistan. Woakes, finally, had arrived at the top level. He was named one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year for his efforts.

In many ways it was a surprise it had taken so long. Woakes had long been a highly respected player at county level. He had made his first-class debut for Warwickshire in 2006 as a 17-year-old and, before he was 20, was topping the county's bowling averages (45 wickets at 20.48 in 2008) with impressive control and an ability to swing the ball both ways. Most of all, though, he impressed with an apparently unflappable temperament that his sometimes director of cricket at Warwickshire, Ashley Giles, admitted he would like "to clone" as the template for all players.

He claimed 47 wickets at 33.53 and scored his maiden first-class century in 2009 and then claimed 58 at just 21.48 in 2010. As a result, he was selected on the England Lions tour of West Indies where he performed admirably and was deemed ready for the next step. His made his international debut in a T20 in Adelaide in January 2011 and kept his cool to hit the winning runs in a thrilling one-wicket victory. A few weeks later, he claimed 6 for 45 in an ODI at Brisbane.

Back in Britain, Woakes enjoyed another superb summer in first-class cricket with 56 wickets at 21.78 and 579 runs at 48.25. But it was, frustratingly to those who could see his strengths lay in his red ball game, with the white ball that he won his chance for England, playing spasmodically over the next couple of years.

His Test debut came at the end of the 2013 Ashes. He performed respectably on a flat pitch - he batted at No. 6 - but it was felt he lacked the pace to prosper at Test level and he was left out of the Ashes squad for the return tour to Australia.

Having worked hard to add that pace, Woakes was recalled in place of Ben Stokes in the summer of 2014 and played three Test in succession against India. He enjoyed no luck, but demonstrated the skill and control to suggest he had a future at that level. But a succession of injuries - and the development of Stokes - saw him slip back among the chasing pack and he lost his central contract at the end of 2015.

The summer of 2016 changed his fortunes. And while an intercostal injury ruined his 2017 summer - he pulled up having bowled a handful of deliveries in the ICC Champions Trophy - he had more than enough credit in the bank to ensure his place on the 2017-18 Ashes trip.
George Dobell